One thing that struck me as odd is that one section of the churched is fenced off … is it to protect the organ? The organ was built by T.W. Magahy in 1936 using pipework from the old Telford organ there. It was rebuilt in 1996 by Trevor Crowe Ltd. There are around 3,000 pipes in the organ, seventy of which are gilded and incorporated in the casework. It is claimed to be the largest pipe organ in a Catholic church in Dublin and is very highly regarded. Eoin Tierney M.A., B.A. (Mus) was the first organ scholar of Adam and Eve’s Church.
Because of my Grandmother’s hobby of visiting churches, despite the fact that the she was not really religious, I have been in almost every church in Dublin including this church which she referred to as Merchant’s Quay Church. However I never entered via the Cook Street entrance until today mainly because the gate was always locked when I visited Cook Street,
The Church of the Immaculate Conception, also known as Adam and Eve’s, is a Roman Catholic church run by the Franciscans and it is located on Merchants Quay, Dublin.
During the Dissolution reign of King Henry VIII around 1540 the Friary at Francis Street, the site of the current church of St. Nicholas of Myra (Without), Francis Street, was confiscated and the community was dispersed. In 1615 a new friary was built on Cook Street. A chapel on the site was destroyed in 1619 and later rebuilt. The Franciscans secretly said Mass in the Adam and Eve Tavern, where the popular name of the present church comes from. In 1759 a newer church was built, which was later replaced by the current church.
After the Catholic Emancipation in 1829, they set about building a church and laid the foundation stone of the current church in 1834. The original design was by the architect Patrick Byrne who planned a tower on the Merchant’s Quay entrance. However due to financial problems the church was built without a nave or tower.
The church was originally dedicated to Saint Francis but in 1889 it was rededicated to the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady.
After 1900, the church was reorganised with the moving of the altar to the left wall and the original sanctuary was changed into a transept and entrance from Cook Street. A small nave was added to the right and a dome built over the sanctuary.
In 1912 a shrine to Saint Anthony was built in 1912 to designs by the architects Doolin, Butler and Donnelly.
In 1926 to celebrate the seventh centenary of Saint Francis, the friars built a circular apse, remodelled the transepts and extended the nave with an entrance to Skippers Alley. The consecration of the high altar took place on 21 September 1928 by Dr. Paschal Robinson, titular Archbishop of Tyana (1870–1948).
The high cross outside Booterstown church was erected c.1868 from a sum of money left to the church by a servant lady from the Pembroke estate. I do not know why her name is not mentioned in any accounts that I have seen.
Church of the Assumption, Booterstown is a Roman Catholic church located in Booterstown, County Dublin, Ireland. The church represents the Parish of the Assumption Booterstown, which was established in 1616. The present church opened in 1813 and was built as a replacement for the old chapel that existed at the site. The construction was paid for by Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam who provided it for his Catholic tenants.
The Booterstown parish was established in 1616 and its boundary was from Irishtown, through Donnybrook, Milltown, Churchtown, Rathfarnham to the top of Three Rock Mountain through Sandyford to Seapoint taking in Dundrum, Stillorgan and Galloping Green. Other parishes were formed directly or indirectly from the Booterstown parish such as Donnybrook in 1747, Dundrum in 1879, Blackrock in 1922, Mount Merrion in 1948, Merrion Road in 1964 and Newtownpark in 1967.
Construction of the present parish church started on 6 August 1812 with the laying of the foundation stone. The church was constructed at the expense of the Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam. He instructed the architect to make the church look like a house and avoid making it look like a church. This was to avoid upsetting his local Protestant tenants and friends. The church was dedicated to the Feast of the Assumption on 15 August 1813, by Dr. John Troy, Archbishop of Dublin.